Jersey City's Maldonado sworn in as freeholder by Mayor Fulop

Junior Maldonado campaigning for Steve Fulop on election day at near Erie and 2nd St. in Jersey City. Journal file photo

After being sworn in by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, the newest member of the Hudson County Freeholders, Junior Maldonado, said he opened the door for Fulop’s political career drawing laughs from the standing room only crowd in the freeholders’ chamber yesterday afternoon.

“Glen Cunningham introduced Steve Fulop to politics but Junior Maldonado gave him his start,” said the new freeholder, who in 2005 lost his Downtown Jersey City council seat to Fulop. The reference to the late Mayor Cunningham was when Fulop challenged and lost to U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez in the 2004 Democratic primary.

This year, Maldonado, former deputy executive director of the Hudson County Improvement Authority, helped Fulop win the Hispanic vote in the municipal election. The 57-year-old city resident of Puerto Rican descent was voted into office by local Democratic Party committee members to replace 4th District Freeholder Eliu Rivera who resigned, effectively July 1, even though he departed for retirement to Puerto Rico a month earlier.

A special election for the freeholder seat will be held in November.

Maldonado said he looks forward to working with Fulop to make Jersey City one of the best “mid-sized cities in the country.“ In acknowledging his new post he added, “And in the same terms, I look forward to working with the county executive in making Hudson County one of the best counties in the country.”

A group of Maldonado’s childhood Downtown buddies were among friends and family who witnessed the swearing in. They were all of the same mind as Carlos Hernandez, who said: “He’s an honest, good guy with a beautiful family and we’re proud of him and expect good things from his work here.”